RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Chicago Bears were not expected to land safety Dillon Thieneman in the 2026 NFL Draft, as he was projected to go off the board long before Chicago made their first pick of the draft at No. 25 overall. But, the Bears were able to land Thieneman, who is now going to be one of their starters going into this season.
Coming out of college, Thieneman was a highly coveted prospect for his intangibles such as keeping his eyes on the quarterback constantly, his high football IQ and ball-tracking ability. In addition, Thieneman had a high volume of production for just three years in college -- over 300 tackles, eight interceptions including six in his freshman year and 10 tackles for loss.
Personality-wise, Thieneman is an interesting mix to Chicago’s secondary. While players such as cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson are very vocal, Thieneman is more quiet. He has the attitude of keeping his head down and getting down to business, so much so that head coach Ben Johnson said he does not even really know what Thieneman’s voice sounds like.
"I don’t even know what his voice sounds like really," Johnson said. "He just comes into work and gets after it. A little bit robotic like that. In a good way, I’m saying that as a compliment."
Johnson is the type of coach who appreciates any player that is willing to do what is necessary to get better and help the team, so he surely approves of how Thieneman goes about his business. Also encouraging for the Bears is how Thieneman has improved throughout training camp and the preseason highlighted by his interception against Joe Burrow in Chicago’s joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chicago will finish off the preseason against the Tennessee Titans on Sat. Aug. 29 before their regular season opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 13.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson sounds off on Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman's work ethic
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